View from the floor: Dr. Z's Q&A draws tame reponse

Dr. Z appears to have lost a little bit of his luster with the North American press.

Affable, approachable, quotable and entirely involved in the community during his years in Metro Detroit as the head of Chrysler, Dieter Zetsche drew a relatively tame crowd of journalists after he unveiled several of Mercedes' latest products.

It's standard procedure for reporters to jam around auto execs after they showcase their companies' most recent offerings at the Detroit Auto Show, vying to ask in-person questions of the usually inaccessible car bosses.

But Zetsche -- as widely quoted and interviewed as any Detroit CEO in recent memory -- played host to a fairly brief and orderly scrum on Sunday. Many of the questions were asked and answered in German, and he did an on-camera spot with an Asian TV station. Local reporters also got in a few questions.

Still, it was a routine briefing compared to the journalistic joustings that broke out after Zetsche's former employer, Chrysler, unveiled the new Dodge Ram outside with a procession of cattle. Reporters herded around Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli and Vice Chairman Jim Press, who lingered outside Cobo Hall answering questions in the chilly January air.

The reasons for the apparent disparity in interest are fairly obvious. Most notably, Chrysler is in a transition period under new ownership and faces uncertainty, while Mercedes appears poised for some stability as it focuses on its core luxury market.

Additionally, Chrysler's leaders are well-known but new to their roles at the No. 3 Detroit automaker.

Zetsche, known for his trademark mustache and wire rim glasses, did make perhaps the single biggest media splash of the day when "Sex and the City" star Kim Cattrall joined him onstage to show off the new Mercedes GLK.